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So BMW has this website now and is advertising it via various banner ads: www.bmw-i-usa.com

The website has the tagline "Born Electric" and the same tagline appears at the end of the video.

However, read a little further in the details and you soon realize what a breathtaking mis-statement BMW is making here:

For electric mobility, BMW i is focusing on sustainability and a range of complementary mobility services, thereby redefining the understanding of personal transportation.
BMW i is creating a new world of visionary mobility. First, there is the BMW i3 Concept Car. Previously introduced as the Megacity Vehicle, this is the BMW Group's first Series-produced all-electric car, and focuses on the mobility needs of people living in urban areas. And as the world's first premium electric vehicle, it reinvents BMW for the future.

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"The world's first premium electric vehicle"...Really? Guess they didn't look very hard.

Secondly, the BMW i8 Concept Car is the world's most-progressive sports car. It's forward-looking, intelligent and innovative. Its unique plug-in hybrid design brings together a combustion engine and an electric-drive system to create an extraordinary driving experience. Of course, it's complemented by extremely low fuel consumption and emissions.

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So it's a hybrid. BMW marketing folk please take note: H-Y-B-R-I-D..... That's not an electric vehicle and if it was "Born Electric" who did the transplant to put an ICE in it?

One of the great advantages of electric mobility is zero local emissions.

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True. But the BMW i8 isn't a zero emission vehicle!? What about the i3 then?......

The success of the BMW i3 Concept Car is proof positive that true sustainability is achievable.

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Until you throw in the REx, which sounds like a prescription battery but is in fact a small combustion engine. Ooops.

Ultimately, BMW i is setting new standards of sustainability across the entire value chain.

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Huh?

I loved my BMW's in the past and they were really always a joy to drive; the BMWi concept looks exciting, but reading through their website has left me feeling that BMW is really being misleading. Claiming to be a world's first doesn't make it a fact. Claiming that your BMWi vehicles were "Born Electric" when you're selling hybrids and ICE range extenders is stunningly poor for a great car company. Where's the honesty?

Companies never get it, and it's one reason I'm always pleased when the advertising agency in the UK (I forget their name) is always slapping the hammer down on misleading ads. Confusing the general public so that you can put a spin on your product just causes problems -- especially when the claims are false. I'd love to see more strict ad enforcement in the US.

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